ELITE COOLING FOR EVERYONE
GETTING THE MOST out of our rigs oftentimes means overclocking them. I’ve been overclocking since the days of jumper switches on the motherboard. These days, however, it’s way easier, especially with BIOSes that can auto-sense and overclock for you. Overclocking, though, can generate excessive amounts of heat, and the best method of removing that heat is by using liquid cooling.
For years, the merest mention of using liquid cooling would send even diehard overclockers running away—the possibility of leaks was just too risky. But liquid cooling is mainstream now, and has evolved from its status as an attic science experiment.
If you’re not already using liquid cooling, you can easily get good frequency reach from your PC by using all-in-one liquid coolers. They’re simple to install, offer closed-loop sealed designs that are pre-filled with coolant, and are affordable—often even free with pre-built PCs. However, there’s liquid cooling for beginners, and then there’s the kind we do here.
We won’t accept any kick-ass build that doesn’t cool both the CPU and the GPU under liquid. The only way to essentially do that is to build your own custom loop. p. If you decide that a custom loop is in the he cards, be advised: Going back to lesser er cooling technology won’t be an option. n. The world of custom loops is just as expansive as the number of custom PCs Cs you can build. In other words, there are re endless possibilities.
I started building custom loops roughly three years ago. At the time, I was using tubes, along with basic radiators and pumps only on the CPU. After working on Dream Machine 2015, though, I realized that going with hard tubing was the way to go if you wanted sex appeal. With hard tubing, you’ll have to pre-plan everything carefully. Every millimeter counts, and every corner has to be pre-measured. Despite the difficulty, the finished product is always worth the struggle.
My primary rig at home actually contains two independent loops: one for the CPU, and one larger loop for the three graphics cards. Both loops have their own radiators and pumps. Why did I take this route? Simply because I didn’t want the thermals from the GPUs to impact the liquid temperature for the CPU, and vice versa. My two-loop setup is a bit abnormal, because most systems just employ a single loop—but, hey, why do something if you’re not going to go allout, right?
Except, if you want to, you can go even further. Liquid-cool your VRMs. Liquidcool each graphics card individually. Liquid-cool everything. We show you how. Just make sure you have some towels handy.